The goal of this project is to establish a dedicated Sensory Regulation Station within the school counseling classroom to support students' emotional regulation, sensory processing, and readiness to learn. This space will provide students with a safe, structured environment to reset and self-regulate before returning to the classroom, reducing disruptive behaviors and supporting overall social-emotional wellness.
The Regulation Station will be integrated into the daily practice of the school counseling program as a proactive, skills-based intervention space, directly impacting all 658 students at the school. Students will access the station in the following ways:
1) Teacher or self-referral breaks: Students showing signs of frustration, anxiety, or overwhelm may be sent by a teacher, or may request on their own using a break pass, to visit the classroom for a short, structured reset (typically 5-10 minutes) before returning to class.
2) Counselor-led individual sessions: During individual counseling sessions, the counselor will use the space and its tools to teach and practice specific regulation strategies (deep breathing, grounding with sensory stones, visual focus with sensory tubes) tailored to each student's needs.
3) Small group instruction: The station will support small-group social-emotional learning lessons focused on identifying feelings, recognizing triggers, and practicing coping strategies, using the sensory tools as hands-on teaching aids.
4) Post-incident re-regulation: Following a conflict, meltdown, or disciplinary referral, students will use the space to calm down before a restorative conversation or return to instruction, reducing the likelihood of escalation.
5) Skill generalization: The school counselor will explicitly teach students to name their emotional state, select an appropriate tool or strategy independently, and practice a brief regulation routine, building self-regulation skills students can use without adult prompting, both in and out of the school counseling classroom.
● School-wide: As a shared school counseling resource, the Regulation Stations will be available to support all 658 students enrolled at the school, not a single classroom or grade level.
● Reduced disruptive behavior: Proactive access to regulation tools is expected to decrease classroom disruptions, office referrals, and escalated behavioral incidents.
● Improved instructional time: By helping students reset quickly and return to class ready to learn, the stations reduce time lost to dysregulation, conflict, and recovery from incidents.
● Stronger self-regulation skills: Repeated, guided practice with sensory and mindfulness tools builds lasting coping strategies students can apply independently across settings.
● Support for diverse learners: Sensory-based tools benefit a wide range of students, including those with anxiety, sensory processing needs, ADHD, or trauma histories.
● Positive school climate: Visible, well-resourced regulation spaces signal that emotional wellness is a schoolwide priority, supporting a safer and more supportive environment for students and staff.
Budget Narrative:
The requested funds will be used to purchase sensory and regulation materials essential to the functionality of the School Counseling Classroom Regulation Stations. Each item was selected based on its evidence-supported role in supporting sensory processing and emotional regulation for school-age students:
● Flexible Seating (Peanut Sensory Ball, Balance Ball Seats, Washable Sensory Pillows): Supports movement-friendly, body-regulating seating options that help students find a comfortable position conducive to calming and focus.
● Color-Changing Light Cube: Provides adjustable, low-stimulation visual input to help create a calming atmosphere and support relaxation techniques.
● Light Table Sensory Bundle: Offers an illuminated, hands-on tactile experience that encourages grounding and redirects attention away from dysregulated states.
● Liquid Floor Tiles: Provides an interactive sensory experience that engages visual and tactile senses simultaneously.
● Sensory Tubes: Serve as a calming visual tool, allowing students to focus on slow-moving liquid or objects to reduce anxiety and support mindfulness.
● Sensory Windows: Provide an interactive tactile/visual panel for calming sensory engagement.
● Sensory Stones: Provide tactile grounding and fine-motor engagement, useful for students who benefit from touch-based regulation strategies.
These materials are durable, reusable, and appropriate for a wide range of grade levels, ensuring long-term use and sustainability of the Regulation Station beyond the initial funding period. All items directly align with the project's goal of improving students' self-regulation skills and overall social-emotional wellness.
Purpose of Funding:
Funding is requested to establish School Counseling Classroom Regulation Stations within the school counseling program to directly support students' emotional regulation, self-management, and readiness to learn. Many students experience heightened stress, anxiety, or sensory dysregulation throughout the school day, which can interfere with their ability to focus, engage appropriately with peers, and access instruction. This funding will allow the school counselor to create a calming, structured space equipped with sensory tools that give students healthy, proactive strategies to reset before returning to class; reducing office referrals, minimizing classroom disruptions, and fostering a more positive school climate for all 658 students served by the school.
